Breaking the Formation [2k]
Translator: CinderTL
"Yes!"
Upon receiving the command, Jun Zhou, Zhou Yuechen, Jiang Yuxue, Yi Feng, and others immediately rallied their disciples and drew their swords once more.
This scene left Zuo Tian somewhat helpless.
However, he ultimately said nothing more, merely reporting the situation on his side.
Then, he joined the battle as well.
A thousand-mile dike can collapse due to an ant hole.
In any formation, once the first breach is made, any subsequent attack will cause that breach to widen continuously.
Li Chunjun's first strike, which destroyed a node, marked the beginning.
With the cooperation of dozens of Core Formation cultivators from the Taixu Sword Sect, the Royal City Grand Formation was under immense pressure, leaving it with insufficient strength to counter the sudden assault of Li Chunjun's Scarlet Sky Sword.
With each strike, the Sword Qi that pierced through the formation destroyed another node of the grand formation.
With each node destroyed, the flaws in the formation grew more pronounced.
By the time more than ten nodes had been destroyed, even Zuo Tian could occasionally seize the opportunity to send his Flying Sword through the formation, causing damage to its nodes.
As more nodes were destroyed, the operation of the formation gradually became a mere formality.
The entire process took less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick.
This outcome not only shocked Zhou Wu Gou and others from the Chiyang Sword Sect but also left Zuo Tian, the True Inheritor, as well as Jun Zhou, Zhou Yuechen, and others who had devised the assault plan, utterly incredulous.
Since when had a fourth-tier formation become so easy to break? However, they understood the key reason.
Sword Prodigy Li! Sword Prodigy Li's offensive was far more ferocious than any of them had imagined! Moreover, it seemed that...
He was somewhat reckless with his Lifebound Flying Sword, repeatedly striking the fourth-tier formation head-on, unleashing attacks comparable to those of a Nascent Soul True Lord. This was why the formation was broken so quickly.
With the City Protection Grand Formation on the verge of collapse, Zhou Wu Gou, Bai Yang, Tian Jian, Huan Lie, and others were filled with terror.
Especially when they saw Li Chunjun repeatedly using his Lifebound Flying Sword to strike the formation's barriers, seemingly unconcerned about whether such clashes would leave hidden dangers on his Lifebound Flying Sword. This determination, this killing intent...
Caused the fear in Zhou Wu Gou and Bai Yang, who had just orchestrated the trap using Li Chunjun's mother as bait, to spread rapidly.
"Reinforcements, reinforcements, where are our reinforcements!? Is the sect just going to stand by and watch as the thugs from the Taixu Sword Sect parade through the heart of our Chiyang Sword Sect, destroying our city and annihilating our sect!?"
Zhou Wu Gou shouted in a low voice.
"It's too late! It's far too late! With the Taixu Sword Sect's current lineup, combined with the terrifying combat power of Sword Prodigy Li, the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy, if the sect were to send reinforcements, it would need to mobilize over a hundred Core Formation cultivators to have any hope of repelling them. But... how could we possibly gather a hundred Core Formation cultivators in such a short time?"
Huan Lie responded with bitterness.
"Li Chunjun!"
Zhou Wu Gou muttered the name.
He, Zhou Wu Gou, the most outstanding genius of the Zhou family, a Golden Core True Inheritor who had cultivated for over two hundred years, was actually being pushed to such a desperate state by Li Chunjun, a cultivator who had only been practicing for a mere one or two years!?
"Li Chunjun! Our Chiyang Sword Sect has already initiated a True Inheritor Battle with the Taixu Sword Sect to determine who is the true master of this land! This is the rule established by the nine sects before entering Blue Star to resolve disputes. Do you intend to break this rule?"
Zhou Wu Gou's Divine Sense erupted as he roared.
These words caused Zuo Tian to pause momentarily.
However, this did not affect Li Chunjun in the slightest.
He glanced at the nearly halted City Protection Grand Formation, then turned his sword and charged straight into the formation, aiming to strike Zhou Wu Gou.
Before he even arrived, his Sword Intent locked onto Zhou Wu Gou, and the bone-chilling coldness made Zhou Wu Gou's pupils contract sharply.
By now, Zhou Wu Gou had already exhausted all his protective Talismans, and even his Mystic Treasure-level protective items had been shattered by the Scarlet Sky Sword's sharp edge.
Under such circumstances, how could he possibly muster the courage to face the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy head-on?
Without hesitation, Zhou Wu Gou swiftly retreated!
At the same time, he shouted fiercely, "Stop him!"
Stop him? Who would dare? No one dared!
The wails of the fifty or sixty Core Formation cultivators who had fallen still echoed in their ears.
Even while hiding within the formation, they had been breached, and the Core Formation cultivators of the Chiyang Sword Sect had already been terrified by Li Chunjun's slaughter.
As Zhou Wu Gou retreated, his order to intercept was not only ignored, but the Core Formation cultivators, seeing him retreating towards them, panicked and fled far away, wanting to stay as far from him as possible, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire and lose their lives.
"You all..."
This scene infuriated Zhou Wu Gou.
But when he saw the Scarlet Sky Sword following the Sword Intent, his anger was quickly extinguished by an endless chill.
"Li Chunjun!"
The True Inheritor of the Golden Core roared, condensing his Mystic Art Essence to its limit, allowing him to conjure another Arcane Art despite the Sword Intent's suppression.
A white ring, sharp enough to cut through anything, slashed forward.
But it was useless.
Under the Scarlet Sky Sword's sharp edge, the white ring, capable of cutting through gold and jade, was shattered upon contact! The relentless sword light, with an unshakable determination, shot straight towards his body.
For a moment, this True Inheritor of the Golden Core, who had exhausted all his means and still couldn't stop the impending death, couldn't help but let out a desperate cry.
"No!"
"Boom!"
The sword light pierced through!
Zhou Wu Gou felt as if he had been struck by lightning, a searing, tearing pain spreading like a storm from the center of his body, instantly engulfing every corner of his being.
It's over!
With his body pierced by the Scarlet Sky Sword, he knew it was over!
He was doomed!
At this moment, unprecedented regret, unwillingness, and resentment surged in his heart.
He regretted why he hadn't acted sooner when Li Chunjun first entered Great Shang and caused trouble, why he hadn't eliminated this threat earlier. He was unwilling...
As for resentment...
This resentment wasn't even directed at Li Chunjun, but at the Chiyang Sword Sect.
He resented them for not going all out to capture and kill Li Chunjun before he revealed his talent as the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy, resented them for knowing Li Chunjun's potential and strength yet handing him such a tough opponent! He even resented the entire Chiyang Sword Sect for not coming to his rescue when he was besieged by the Taixu Sword Sect!
With this resentment and unwillingness, he...
"Huh!?"
Zhou Wu Gou suddenly realized something, his heart trembling.
"I'm not dead!?"
Li Chunjun's Lifebound Flying Sword had clearly pierced through his body, yet he was still alive?
Who had saved him, or...
"I spared your life."
At this moment, Li Chunjun's Divine Sense rang out.
The message conveyed within was filled with indifference and coldness.
Like the bone-chilling wind of the twelfth lunar month, it sent shivers down his spine.
"Your life is spared so that you may witness the extermination of the Zhou family, not a single one left alive, and the complete destruction of the Chiyang Sword Sect, vanishing into thin air. You once had the chance to prevent all this, but you squandered it yourself."
The Divine Sense receded.
Along with it, the sword light of the Scarlet Sky Sword also faded away.
The sword light howled, piercing straight through the skull of his trusted aide, Huan Lie.
He could clearly see the look of terror in Huan Lie's eyes as his head was pierced.
But now, he no longer had the energy to feel the pain of his trusted aide, Huan Lie.
When Li Chunjun spared his life, he felt a fleeting moment of joy.
No matter the reason, survival was an opportunity.
Only by living could one have everything.
But when he realized that not only had his Golden Core been shattered, but the fierce and domineering Profound Phoenix Sword Qi had also followed the path of his core, destroying every meridian, energy channel, and even making it difficult for him to gather even a trace of Essence Qi, he fell into deep fear and despair.
He was ruined!
His physical body was completely ruined!
Every meridian, energy channel, and acupoint was utterly destroyed by the Profound Phoenix Sword Qi.
In the future, even walking a few steps would leave him gasping for breath.
This kind of life...
Was even worse than being a cripple! How could he not feel despair!? "Li Chunjun! Li Chunjun!"
As he fell to the ground, he opened his mouth, screaming with all his might.
But even the sound he made was so weak and feeble.
In the chaos of the battlefield, it couldn't carry far.
Meanwhile.
As the formation almost completely ceased to function, Li Chunjun had already charged into the formation with his sword, and the remaining Core Formation cultivators collapsed at an astonishing speed.
"Run! Run now!"
"How can we ordinary Core Formation cultivators possibly stand against the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy who once dominated the world with his sword!? Run!"
"Every man for himself! The war of expansion in the Blue Star Minor Realm is over! I want to go back! I want to return to the Profound Yellow Great World!"
There were still over twenty Core Formation cultivators.
There was still a chance to fight...
Still some strength to struggle.
But all the Core Formation cultivators, upon realizing that Li Chunjun had already entered the formation and with a single strike "killed" Zhou Wu Gou, immediately lost all morale, scattering in all directions.
Unfortunately, if Li Chunjun had been the only one breaking the formation, with over twenty people scattering and fleeing, he could have killed three or five at most.
But now, outside the formation, there were still dozens of Core Formation cultivators from the Taixu Sword Sect.
Without needing Li Chunjun's order, as the Chiyang Sword Sect members scattered, causing the formation to completely stop, the Taixu Sword Sect's Core Formation cultivators, outnumbering them two to one, surged forward, intercepting these Core Formation cultivators.
Among them, it was Yi Feng who intercepted Bai Yang.
"Brother Yi Feng, let me go! Don't you remember, we once drank together! As long as you let me leave, everything I have is yours!"
Bai Yang said quickly.
"Don't try to appeal to our past. Didn't you hear what our Sword Prodigy Li just said? Not a single Qi Refining cultivator or above is to be spared!"
Yi Feng responded coldly.
He said not a single one was to be spared, so not a single one could be allowed to escape! Immediately, he struck, attacking this Core Formation cultivator.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yuxue, Zhang Weiqian, and Qin Zhou also charged towards Tian Jian.
With Zuo Tian, the True Inheritor, and Jun Zhou, one of the top Golden Core cultivators, present, the twenty or so Core Formation cultivators found themselves trapped like turtles in a jar, with no way to escape to the heavens or the earth.
Jun Zhou, Zhou Yuechen, and others even had the capacity to take control of the Great Shang capital's formation, preventing the Qi Refining cultivators living in the capital from fleeing.
In an instant, apart from Bai Yang, Tian Jian, and a few others who were captured alive by Jun Zhou and Jiang Yuxue, everyone else...
The twenty or so Core Formation cultivators who attempted to scatter and flee were completely annihilated by Li Chunjun and the Core Formation cultivators of the Taixu Sword Sect.
Not a single one was left alive.
(End of the Chapter)
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